This article describes a unique era of a generation that was born and raised in Bourj Hammoud, having a special bond with the Armenian community of the time, the schools, the teachers, the churches, the agoomps...Unfortunately, that sense of belonging can't be found or recreated again anywhere in other Armenian communities.

Several months ago I found the hand-written article posted here tugged in an album behind the dryer in my mother’s washroom. The article is longer and parts of it are personal. I thought of keeping it but to what end I wondered. However, I couldn't bring myself to tossing it either. I deleted parts of it while Manya Kazazian, a friend from AUB [the American University of Beirut], graciously accepted to type it to present to Keghart.com’s editor. It depicts a way of life in the hub of the Lebanese-Armenian community...Bourj Hammoud. It would be worth archiving, I thought. I am glad to see that it has been favorably received and positively commented by Vatche from the UK regarding Nvart Kuyr, whom I did not have the pleasure of meeting.

As to the album, after reading the article I surmised that it is the album Mrs. Apelian refers to in her write-up. The album contained some 100 photographs depicting everyday life at the Armenian Evangelical Shamlian Tatigian School in Nor Marash, Bourj Hammoud. It had crossed oceans and continents with her and was now resting in her home.

As to the photos in the album, Facebook came to my quick rescue. I scanned over half and archived them in a Facebook account. I prepared to archive Mrs. Zvart Apelian’s photos in the different Armenian schools she taught for some five decades. The pictures may be viewed by clicking at the below site.

I was particularly struck by the unique name of the photographer--Vramshabouh. I do not know when or where he was born. His parents had opted to name him with this unique Armenian name to perpetuate our national legacy. After I scanned and posted the photos, I was gratified when Ruth Donald Duench from Canada sent me a message letting me know that she was pleasantly surprised to see photos her father had taken posted in the Facebook. She visited Los Angeles a few months ago and organized a gathering with the alumni of the Shamlian-Tatigian Armenian Evangelical School who also hosted their former teacher Mrs. Zvart Apelian, royally. Vramshabouh’s album is now posted in cyber space...a precious page from the history of Armenian Diaspora school history.

Thank you Mrs. Apelian for remembering my mom, father and Vatche. Yes, I was blessed to have Digeen Nevart as my mom. She was a woman of faith. I am glad that she made a difference in your life. Thank you again for sharing.
Love
Ruth D.D.

I have to say I was disappointed at the way Keghart had taken liberties by changing some of the spelling of the English words (where they did not need changing) from that of British English into American/Canadian. I live in Britain and that is the English I adhere to.

In Britain we write neighbour and not neighbor. It would have been good manners if not showing some respect to the diversity of submissions coming to Keghart from every corner of the English and Armenian speaking contributors and readers.

Whilst I appreciate that Keghart is a Canadian publication, I am sure you will agree that in order to keep the authenticity of material submitted, that they should be kept in the English or, indeed, Armenian they were originally written and submitted. I have not seen you modifying/amending Eastern Armenian spelling into Western Armenian and vice versa. Why do it with English?

The readers will not notice any difference as your action was very swift and for this I salute the Keghart group!

It is funny discussing British English vs American English on an Armenian publication. However, we of all nations, should understand this even more as our own mother tongue has such two distinct characteristics.

European Publishers had my cousin's translation of his father's book Tro (by Dr. Antranig Chalabian) printed. Jack was aghast to read that the publisher had misspelled when they had prominently noted on the cover page "Armenia's First Defence Minister". In fact when I type this note, I see a red line under the word Defence, alerting me that it is misspelled. As I type neighbour, I get the same alert too.

We should know better when it is said that U.S. and U.K. are two countries separated by the same language. We are one nation separated by the same language but in much more drastic ways.

"We should know better when it is said that U.S. and U.K. are two countries separated by the same language. We are one nation separated by the same language but in much more drastic ways."

I cannot comment about Britain and the U.S. being two countries separated by the same language........
But I could not agree with you more on your latter sentence about us (Armenians). And, indeed, in much, much drastic ways...

I have known Sister Nvart, as she was known in Bourj Hammoud, as a neighbour, a woman of Christian faith and a motherly figure. She used to address my mother and all the women in the neighbourhood as sister-so-and-so, regardless whether they were religious or not. Calling them sister immediately brought about certain camaraderie and that feminine bond between them. Apart from her neighbourly and sisterly approach, I will never forget the contribution she made to my family when we had to change school in our elementary years because my father could not afford the new higher fees of the Armenian Evangelical School. Principal Rev. Jizmedjian would not make any concessions.

My mother, tears in her eyes, had to enrol us at the new, competitively-priced Armenian Sabbathists’ School (Շաբաթապահ) in Sin-el-Feel. Her disappointment was even greater when she noticed that the educational standards of the new school were lower than the one my brother and I had been previously attending. I hardly studied at home, as I found the lessons too easy. Every afternoon my mother would greet us in tears when we came home from school for she knew we did not belong there. Whether the concept of this Շաբաթապահ schooling and culture was all alien to her or whether she could not see us steering away from an upbringing that she herself had been reared into, I could not understand. Although I found it daunting being away from my friends and the teachers whom I had known since my kindergarten years at the Armenian Evangelical School which was opposite our house.

I am told… one day when my mother was waiting for us at the corner of the street, opposite the school which she yearned to see us attend, Sister Nvart was passing through and she stopped by to say hello. It did not take long for my mother to burst into tears and express her dismay with our new school and that the new Principal Rev. Jizmedjian had not made any concessions to allow us to continue our schooling and observe the Christian faith in which we were being brought up.

I am told...Sister Nvart put her arm around my mother and said, “The Lord will show the way.” She then asked my mother to give her our previous years’ school reports and told her to have faith in the Lord.

I am told...the next day Sister Nvart went to see the principal. She took along our school reports, and told the principal, “How can you throw these pearls to the swine?” (Mathew 7:6)

Two days after Sister Nvart’s meeting with the principal, I saw my mother unstitching the insignia of the new school and replacing it with the one that we knew was best.

The purpose of this letter is in no way meant to be derogatory about the different schools and religious faiths (our family adheres to the Armenian Apostolic Church) but it is about a person – Nvart Demirjian – who made a difference in our lives which is something we have not forgotten to this day.

Since returning to the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School, which was later called Shamlian-Tatikian Evangelical Secondary School of Bourj Hammoud, my brother and I completed our education in the same institution which has left its positive influence upon us to the present day.

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